Tim Gunn: ‘There Is No Reason Why Larger Women Can’t Look Just as Fabulous as All Other Women’

And three other times the fashion icon said exactly what we were thinking about body image.

For 15 seasons, Tim Gunn has been a mentor to Project Runway contestants, offering brutally honest advice. And off the show, the fashion industry veteran doesn’t shy away from letting his opinions and critiques be known, too. Recently, he criticized clothing designers for not offering styles for all body types in an interview on PBS NewsHour. In the discussion, he stated he would like to erase the term, “plus-size.” He said that there are 80 million women who fit the designation of “plus-size” in America, but designers don’t want to make clothes for them.

Gunn wants to break the habits and standards of the fashion industry that were established a long time ago: “For decades models have trotted down the runway with bodies that are completely unattainable for most women. Yet we have been conditioned to think that that’s what looks good. There is no reason why larger women can’t look just as fabulous as all other women. It’s a design issue, not a customer issue.” Check out the full interview, including his thoughts on how designers need to do more than just “size up” clothing, here.

This isn’t the first time Gunn had something wise and inspiring to say about body image, take a look at three other quotes from the fashion industry pro:

“I profoundly believe that women of every size can look good. But they must be given choices… There’s an art to doing this. Designers, make it work.” —Gunn in The Washington Post

“I profoundly believe that women of every size can look great. And in this time of inclusiveness, why should 80 million women be marginalized?” —Gunn in PBS NewsHour

“Perhaps you like to torture yourself by trying on some jeans from a few years ago to see if you can button them. Clothes do not exist to humiliate their owners. Please do not force garments into performing psychological tasks for which they were not designed.” —Gunn in his book, Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style